Eloise Cottrell is a past president of the California Bowling Writers and was born in Hillsboro, Oregon. At five years old she moved to Cornelius and attended school in Forest Grove - all in a radius of about 10 miles. Her interest in journalism began in her junior year of High School when a new English teacher inspired her to write. That same year she was selected as a member of the Quill & Scroll, a writing organization. She worked on the school newspaper and was Editor of the High School Yearbook in her senior year. She continued her pursuit of Journalism at the University of Oregon but the need to support herself won out and after one year she went to work at a major trucking firm.

Having had strict orders from her mother to avoid the local bowling "alley" which had a pool hall in the front, bowling was somewhat unknown to her. She had been advised to walk on the other side of the street.

In 1962 Eloise met Bill Cottrell. Both were owners of 1956 Corvettes and met at a meeting to form the Emerald Empire Corvette Club in Eugene, Oregon. They were married that same year. Bill was a good bowler and introduced Eloise to the sport. She joined a handicap league and has been bowling ever since. She and Bill eventually moved to Eureka and Eloise became a member of the Humboldt Women's Bowling Association. She got her first taste of tournament bowling in the 1972 California WBA Championships in San Jose and rolled her first 600 series - a 685! She also won the California Women's 500 Club Tournament that year.

She is a charter member of the Humboldt 500 Club and volunteered to write publicity for the club when it was formed. Her interest in writing was re-kindled and she also started submitting articles to the local paper and has been the local publicity chairman for 23 years and a member of the National Women Bowling Writers for 21.

Eloise Cottrell has garnered 10 California Golden Nugget writing awards as well as the prestigious Lucelle Ware Memorial Award for Sustained Excellence in writing. She has also won five NWBW awards including the 1999 Billy Hughes Publicity Chairperson of the Year award and in 2003, she was the recipient of the Mary Jannetto Award for Outstanding Local Bowling Promotion.

She is a past president of the Humboldt WBA, 500 Club and 600 Club and is a Life Member and member of the HWBA Hall of Fame for Meritorious Service.

Eloise Cottrell has proven that anything can be done if you work at it - she never gives up.